


...You've Gotten Me Into

by JohnAmendAll



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: 500 prompts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 10:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3932803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnAmendAll/pseuds/JohnAmendAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romana has a new career — in the movies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	...You've Gotten Me Into

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a '500 prompts' meme. Prompt 458, from [flickawhip](http://archiveofourown.org/users/flickawhip): "Another fine mess. — Romana 1/Four"

It was abundantly clear that the car was out of control. The two men sitting in the front — one thin, one fat, both wearing bowler hats — were snatching the orphaned steering wheel out of each other's hands, so absorbed in their argument that they had no attention for where the car was heading, far less any thought of stopping it. 

Halfway down the hill, just as it was passing a duck pond, the car passed under a low tree branch. The two men in the front seemed not to notice it, still intent on their quarrel even as it missed their hats by inches. The back seat was higher, and the young woman in it, a slender brunette wearing the fashionable costume of a flapper, could not avoid being hit by the branch; it swept her out of her seat and into the pond. Hurtling on, the car swerved into a signpost and disintegrated, depositing both of its occupants on the ground. 

"Cut!" The thin man climbed to his feet, and surveyed the devastation. "Thanks, everyone. No, Babe, don't get up yet" — this to his co-driver — "Can we just get a closeup of you before we wrap?" 

A cameraman hurried forward, setting his camera before the wreck of the car. 

"Roll 'em!... Cut. OK, we're done. Thanks again, everyone." 

The fat man glanced at his watch. "You always cut it fine, Stan. I'll have to be getting along." 

"No problem. See you tomorrow, Babe." 

As the actors and cameramen made their departure, one of the small crowd of onlookers, a tall man with curly hair and an infeasibly long scarf, hurried up the road to where two beefy stagehands were helping the car's passenger out of the pond. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, as she was pulled to her feet. 

Romana disengaged herself from her helpers. "I haven't regenerated, have I?" she said. 

"No." The Doctor gave her face a closer look. "Definitely not." 

"Then I suppose it's the dress. I thought I might have changed size, but presumably it's just the effect of the water." She took the skirt in her hands, tried to wring some of the water out of it, and seemed to realise her answer to the Doctor's question had been incomplete. "I expect I'll have a good collection of bruises tomorrow, but nothing worse." 

"That's a relief." The Doctor patted her on the back. "Still, all in a good cause, wasn't it?" 

"I'm not sure I see the point." Romana pushed her dripping hair back. "It would be a lot less trouble if they just used computers to render each frame. That would be considerably simpler than using live models." 

"They haven't got any computers yet," the Doctor pointed out. 

Romana made a dismissive gesture. "Can't they wait until someone develops one, then? Anyway, I checked everyone on set. None of them was a Zygon." 

"So you'll have to come back for another session tomorrow. If Mr Laurel approves, of course." 

"Approves? He's positively enthusiastic. He said I'd given him an idea for a scene we could do on a helter-skelter." 

"Well, don't let him talk you into anything dangerous." 

Romana gave the Doctor a curious look. "You really mean that, don't you? You care about what happens to me." 

"Well, of course I do." 

"It was almost worth a ducking, to hear that." Romana set off down the road, leaving a trail of drips and muddy footprints. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to change into something less waterlogged." 

"Romana—" the Doctor began, hurrying after her. 

Romana turned, and raised an admonitory finger. "Remember, I said 'almost.'"


End file.
